Africa

April 2019 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's opposition forces refused to deal with the military coup led by the defence minister on Thursday and urged the Sudanese to continue to sit-in the streets.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese were clearly frustrated when Awad bin Auf appeared on the TV screens as one of the perpetrators of the coup that toppled al-Bashir.

The streets of the Sudanese capital and a number of states were filled with huge waves of people after the announcement of the army's statement as thousands marched in the streets to express their joy of the expected change.

But, the protesters shouted everywhere, expressing their rejection of Ibn Ouf and considered the move as a hoax saying that the same faces they opposed to, are in the security committee headed by Ibn Ouf includes the security apparatus, the Rapid Support Forces and the police.

The head of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP) Omer al-Degair, said that the statement read by the leader of the military coup is disappointing, and stressed his refusal to allow the "theft of the revolution".

He stressed that the statement is nothing but an attempt to re-produce the al-Bashir regime which must be dropped with all its organs and symbols.

"We reject the formation of the military council, and the leadership of the armed forces had to contact us to hear our point of view about the future (of Sudan) but they took their decision alone and therefore we reject on behalf of the people and we will remain on the streets," he said.

For its part, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) who coordinates the popular protests, also rejected the statement by the defence minister and called on the protesters to continue demonstrating until the "comprehensive change" is achieved.

In a statement released after Ibn Ouf statement, the SPA said that the authorities of the regime carried out "a military coup reproducing the faces and institutions against which the Sudanese people revolted."

"Those who destroyed the country and killed its people are trying to steal every drop of blood and sweat poured by the great Sudanese people in the revolution that shook the throne of tyranny."

A spokesman for the professionals said Defence Minister Awad Ibn Ouf had "interpreted a new representation" and that his statement preserved the presence of the Islamist in the Sudanese state.

"What happened was a new coup and an attempt to dodge," he said.

"The people will rebel against the authority of Ibn Ouf and any authority besieging his dreams."

The professionals further called on the Sudanese people to maintain their sit-in in front of the army headquarters and in the other states and to stay on the streets in all the cities of Sudan until the handover of power to a transitional government that reflects the revolutionary forces.

"There is no dialogue between the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change and those who have now come to power," the SPA spokesperson said.

Other political forces rejected Ibn Ouf's statements saying it only means the continuation of the regime and its repressive apparatus under a new name.

"Awad Ibn Ouf's statement means the continuation of the rule of the Islamist generals, the security services and the militias, and the retaliation against the officers who sided with the people of the middle and small ranks," said the SPLM-N led by Malik Agar.

"At this pivotal stage in the history of the country, the SLA confirms that it will continue to fight for the overthrow of this regime. The movement will put all its resources into the hands of the revolution," said Minni Minnwi the leader of Sudan Liberation Movement.

" The Movement rejects the existence of the symbol of genocide at the head of the transitional government, whatever the justifications, and considers it a provocation to the feelings of the victims' families and a grave insult to the martyrs," said the Justice and Equality Movement of Gibril Ibrahim.

(ST)

April 11, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese Defense Minister First Vice- President Awad Ibn Ouf overthrew President Omer al-Bashir and announced his arrest in a safe place.

On Thursday afternoon, Ibn Ouf read a military statement on behalf of the Supreme Security Committee, which includes the armed forces, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the police.

He said the Committee "decided to carry out what was not expected by the head of the regime and took full responsibility for changing the whole regime during a two-year transitional period," he said before to add that "the armed forces - with a limited representation of the components of that committee - will take is the responsibility of the state administration.

"I, the Minister of Defense, the head of the Supreme Security Committee, announces the uprooting of the regime and the arrest of its head in a safe place."

He explained that the Security Committee has been since the 6 April considering the alternatives and warned of the seriousness of the situation but they were faced by the Stubbornness and insistence on security solutions, without naming al-Bashir.

He added they had been convinced of the impossibility to implement such an option, pointing out that it would have caused significant losses.

Ibn Ouf made his speech after a long delay as it was announced since the early morning.

It came in a bid to end the over four-month protests demanding al-Bashir and his regime to step down.

Ibn Ouf further announced a number of measures including the formation of a Transitional Military Council to rule the country for a two-year transitional period.

The details of this government will be disclosed in a later statement, he said.

Also, he decided to suspend the Interim Constitution of 2005 and announced a three-month state of emergency and a one-month of curfew from 10 pm to 4 am.

He further decided the closure of the airspace for twenty-four hours.

Furthermore, he dissolved the government, the parliament and the presidential cabinet as well as the state governments and legislatures.

Ibn Ouf maintained the unilateral cease-fire throughout Sudan and announced the immediate release of all political prisoners, the creation of a conducive climate for the peaceful transfer of power, the building of political parties, the holding of free and fair elections at the end of the transitional period and the establishment of a permanent constitution.

(ST)

April 11, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan official and radio-television have interrupted their programmes and broadcast military announcing that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) will issue a communiqué soon.

Reports from Khartoum say the coup d'état has been carried out by the whole military institution including the defence minister and first vice-president Awad Ibn Ouf.

Also, armoured vehicles belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been seen deployed in the strategic positions of the capital.

The Sudanese Professionals Association which oversees the over-4 month protests across the country has called on the protesters to continue the big set-in outside the army headquarters until the identification of who is behind the coup.

The whereabouts of President Omer al-Bashir is not known. However, reports say he is at his home under the protection of the army.

A military telegram seen by Sudan Tribune released his morning informed the military commands outside the capital and in the different states that the army has taken power and will form a military council to manage the country.

Reliable Sources say the decision was taken to cut short preparations for another coup that had been underway by Islamist officers together with the NISS and the militia of the National Congress Party known as the Popular Security.

Al-Jazeera TV reported the arrest of Ali Osman Taha, former first vice-president and Ahmed Haroun the acting chairman of the National Congress Party along with other leading Islamist leaders.

Hundreds of protesters have continued to arrive at the headquarters of the army in Khartoum.

Calls for Vigilance

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which coordinates the four-month protest movement, called for vigilance and urged the Sudanese people to remain mobilized and to continue the sit-in outside army headquarters.

"At this moment, the country is waiting for the statement of the Armed Forces in response to your heroic struggle over the past four months. We say that we are at a crossroads; either a complete victory f your great struggles or a desperate attempt to reproduce the old regime,".

The SPA further recalled its demands: the stepping down of al-Bashir and his regime, handover of power to a transitional civilian government that reflects the components of the revolution and the full implementation of the declaration of freedom and change.

09.24

Sudanese are still waiting for the statement of the army leadership, while reports say some 150 politicians have been arrested from the NCP and its allied forces.

People continue to take to the street celebrating the fall of al-Bashir's regime despite uncertainties about the nature of the military coup.

11.28

Sudanese army raided the headquarters of the Islamic Movement in Khartoum.

The Sudanese people are still awaiting the statement of the army leadership among reports about the release of the political detainees including Mohamed Nagi Alsam, the SPA spokesperson.

The SPA issued a statement calling to avoid attacks on government and private property in Khartoum. The call comes after a video showing protesters raiding the house of Awad al-Jaz a former minister and presidential adviser.

12.03

Sudanese continue to take to the street, as thousands head to the headquarters of the army where protesters have been there for five days.

(ST)

Photographer Sanlé Sory spent 25 years documenting night life in the West African country of Burkina Faso.

Capturing the defiant and growing crowds outside the army headquarters in Sudan's capital.

Nearly one month after Cyclone Idai slammed into the southeast African coast, the streets of Mozambique’s busy port city of Beira are “returning to life” as the search for survivors continues throughout neighbouring Zimbabwe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. 

An upsurge of violence in the south-east of Niger means that the population’s suffering is increasing “with each passing month,” a UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesperson warned on Tuesday, at a press briefing in Geneva. In March alone, some 88 civilians were reported to have died during attacks.

Sudan’s authorities have an “over-arching responsibility” to protect protesters, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said on Tuesday, amid reports that 70 people have died in the latest anti-Government clashes.

With security forces reportedly firing tear gas at protesters and signs that there may be division between the army and security forces in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, over how to deal with ongoing demonstrations, the UN chief on Monday called on “all actors to exercise utmost restraint and avoid violence.”

In a message to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi, during which Hutu and others who opposed the genocide were also killed, UN chief António Guterres has warned of dangerous trends of rising xenophobia, racism and intolerance in many parts of the world.

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Residents of Buzi District, in Sofala province, Mozambique, wait on rooftops for rescue teams after Cyclone Idai, March 19, 2019.

© 2019 INGC

Strong winds, heavy rains, and massive flooding caused by Cyclone Idai two weeks ago have left a trail of destruction in central Mozambique, on a scale that won’t be known until the rain waters recede. But it’s already known that since March 18, when the cyclone made landfall, more than 500 people have died and at least 1400 more are being treated for cholera.

As the authorities and the United Nations, Red Cross, and other humanitarian agencies struggle to accommodate more than 146,000 displaced people, a new problem has emerged: thousands of people are missing. Many people in accommodation centers told the media of losing relatives as they fled the rising flood waters. One woman explained that she couldn’t find her husband, her mother, and her six siblings. An 8-year-old girl told local television that the last time she saw her parents and two siblings was when they left her on a rooftop from which she was later rescued.

Many of the missing may have found shelter in one of 155 displaced persons sites across Sofala, Manica, Zambezia, and Tete provinces. Others could have returned to their villages when the rain stopped.

The Red Cross, which has experience finding people missing in connection with conflicts, natural disasters, and migration, has set up a website to help people in affected areas of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. But more will be needed to be done to track down the thousands of people who remain unaccounted for.

The UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement provide that governments should “endeavor to establish the fate and whereabouts” of people reported missing and cooperate with international agencies involved in this task. The authorities also need to inform relatives “on the progress of the investigation and notify them of any result.”  

The Mozambican government should urgently establish a national database of missing people to help families identify and locate their relatives. And they should move swiftly and effectively to engage with survivors, community leaders, and international partners to ensure that these vital family links are restored.

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